Again, my opinion. Get plenty of brakes and suspension to pull whatever you have in mind (consider an upgrade too! - AirStreams do tend to cause upgrade fever!) and the motor that comes with the proper brakes & suspension will be ample to satisfy your desire to be "at the max"....
Axel
SilverToy[/quote
Youv'e got plenty of tv there. I agree with Axel 100%.
Up-grade those G.M. brakes!! (iv'e worked at a chevy store 20+)
Check out the stainless up-grades that are available.
That is a terrific question, which by itself, could neatly order so much of the extra info that infuses each comment with so much 'other info' about this or that. "Would you buy the same again? Yes or No?"
Simple.
Love it!
And to answer the question. No. But YES! Yes for the 98% of all the driving the truck does. What is there is PLENTY adequate for that. That other 2% however does induce more that I care, of the stabbing back and forth glances to the trans temp gauge, the oil pressure monitor, and the like. Oh and the 45 or 50 mph climbs that I wished I could do at 60+ like others with their rigs. Then again, how often are there climbs that REALLY TEST a vehicle like that??? I have had, and towed, SilverToy nearly 10,000 miles in the SW US with trips to the northern midwest 3 times, over almost 3 years. There have been 3 really NAILBITER climbs that REALLY taxed the TV to it's MAX. I really felt bad once they were done!!!! Kelly, the TV, just wanted to get moving at a decent clip again to get air to pull the trans temps down..... - NO ILL effects from any of those climbs, so far.
So the NO part is to answer for the 2% situations. Then again I have moved away from the 'land of long uphill pulls' (SW & Rockies) so perhaps I have less to concern myself with now. We'll see.
BTW - on any of those 3 mentioned pulls, as well as all others with SilverToy attached, I NEVER had a thought of concern about the suspension or the BRAKES. If I had had even the first concern about either one of those, I would have pulled over and parked it til I got the right TV for the job.
Kelly, the TV, is still IT!!! Love her! Love SilverToy! match made in Michigan and Ohio!
Axel, Thanks for the passionate response, really I knew I'd get the real story here!! So now my next question, Does the Avalanche 2500 have enough suspension?? As far as braking I'll be using the prodigy P3 so that should do the job right? Also everyone seems to be concerned about gas mileage, estimating I'll get around 7-9 mpg's . What is considered good mileage? If it's 3-4 mpg's more then I don't think that's a big deal. If it's more then.......
Brian
Oh yea I'm sending along some karma for all that passion...
Again, my 2003 2500 is an "HD" with 4x4. It rides very hard and on a long day it is too stiff for creature comfort.
But, it does a great job of handling the 29' trailer. There is never a question of who is in charge and what direction we are going. If anything, I am concerned that at times it puts a lot of strain on the trailer(bad bridge junctions) instead of sharing the movement.
My friend has the 2003 suburban 2500 and I think it is ideal. It rides better than my pickup but, handles his 34' trailer with ease. Your tow will not be much different.
I think you will never have a problem with a std 2500. You will have a heavy frame, big abs brakes, 4 wheel discs, heavy trans, etc. My hd only settles approx 1" in the back wheel wells before the load leveler goes on.
My comments are based on towing the 29' 28,000 miles.
Thanks for your opinions wingfoot. I bought the Avalanche today. It's in perfect condition, loaded with leather, Bose and the tow mode for the trans. It's an 03 with only 53,000 miles and it looks NEW. Very shiny red, imagine what a new AS will look like off the back of it!! I can't get the picture out of my mind. I was wrong earlier in the post when I said it had the 4:10 rear end. It actually has the 3:73 but I don't think that matters. I feel real good about this truck as a tow vehicle
Congrats. Just a little ahead of the trailer arriving.
Actually, I don't think the 3.73 will be an issue. My 6.0 needs the 4.1 rear to stay on the torque side of the curve and be able to accelerate easily in most situations. The 8.1 has so much torque that I think you will have no difficulities with the 3.73 rear.
Brian,
Would I buy the same rig again. No!!!!!!! I would opt for the gm 8.1, duramax, or ford v-10.
We used to have a 2002 F250 V-10 (crew, short bed) for towing our "Little stream" - 22' International. Towed real well and gave us maybe 7 to 8MPG (nice truck, too!). When we got the "Bigstream", 30' Classic, we definitly knew the Classic was behind us, so we went with a F250 Diesel 6.0 crew, short bed. Mileage now (with around 12.5K miles), is 13.5 MPG towing. As engine breaks in, we expect that to rise... how much, is a wish and speculation. Absolutely love this truck, too!
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. Bill & Kim's Marvelous Adventure with Catahoula Charlie
30' Classic
F250 Diesel
AIR 9218
FWIW, I think a 25' Safari is probably the borderline for the 1/2 ton vs. 3/4 ton need. I have a 30' Safari and feel that a 1/2 ton would have been too light of duty of truck for it. You'll be happy with the 3.73 rear gears and the 8.1L engine. Congratulations on the new tow!
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2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
Rstreamn,
Listen, the Avalanche will do fine, we went several thousand miles with a couple this year pulling a 34 foot w/slide-they had absolutely no problems.
Now, a question for you. The big block is sweet, no doubt, and the trans is too, however, a 27 foot behind a big block with a 4.10 rear? My gosh, your fuel mileage will be close to 6-7 MPG!
Do you need the Avalanche w/ the big block, no, but it is nice and what you want. Anything above the first mentioned 350 gasser is 'icing on the cake'
Congrats on your new TV, and since it has the 3.73 gears, what more could you ask?
What wingfoot said about the rough suspension- I have an Airsafe itch, on which I changed the convoluted air bag to a rolling sleeve airbag-man, I love it and it makes things so smooth. There is a tread going right now on that hitch. Enjoy your driving!
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steelbird312
2000 390 Landyacht XL
1989 29' Excella
WBCCI #6673 jerry Hodge
Have no intention of arriving at the grave safely, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand,throttle in the other, totally worn out and screaming
"WOO HOO, WHAT A RIDE!"
FWIW, I think a 25' Safari is probably the borderline for the 1/2 ton vs. 3/4 ton need. I have a 30' Safari and feel that a 1/2 ton would have been too light of duty of truck for it. You'll be happy with the 3.73 rear gears and the 8.1L engine. Congratulations on the new tow!
Actually, I don't think the 3.73 will be an issue.
You've got the torque of my Duramax and my truck only has a 3.73. The 4.10 is more necessary for the midsize 8-cylinders. Actually, the mileage wouldn't have been so much worse with a 4.10. Congrats!
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2006 3/4 Burb 8.1
. What is considered good mileage? If it's 3-4 mpg's more then I don't think that's a big deal. If it's more then.......
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Think that TV will work just fine!! 
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